Air-pump



(No Model.)

J. F. BARKER.

AIR PUMP.

No. 433,064. Patented July 29, 1890.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT ()FFICE;

JOHN F. BARKER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,064., dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed April 23,1888- Serial No. 271,49 7. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. BARKER, of Springfield, in the county of IIampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a eertain new and useful Improvement in Air- Pumps, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a view of an apparatus embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of a water-supply valve and the appurtenant parts referred to hereinafter, the view being from the back side as the parts are represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view, in central vertical section of the same water-supply valve, and of the finger which operates the valve-stem. Fig. at is a top plan view of the valvechamber, the weighted lever, the valve-operating finger, and the lever which has connection to the airholder.

As the title given to this improvement hereinbefore indicates,itisan improvementin airpumps. Such an air-pump as is herein described may be of course applied to any proper purpose; but the particular purpose for which I use it is to furnish the air for hydrocarbon illumination.

The letter a denotes a rotary air-pump as a whole of the kind used in connection with hydrocarbon illuminating apparatus.

1) denotes the water-wheel as a whole which drives this pump.

0 denotes the water-supply pipe through which water comes to drive the wheel.

(.1 denotes a vessel on the top of thepump, which is partially filled with water.

c denotes a reciprocating air-holder, into which the pump forces air, and out from which the air goes to be carbureted. All these parts are well-known and need no more specific description than this.

The letter f denotes a valve located in the watensupply pipe c, controlling the supply of water to the water-wheel, which I denominate the water-supply valve. Speaking generally, the water-supply valve is opened by the downward movement of the air-holder e and closed by its upward movementthat is, the relation of the parts when in proper adjustment to each other is such that when the air-holder rises to a certain point it closes 'the valve, thus stopping the waiter-wheel, and

when the air-holder falls it opens the valve and starts the water-wheel, the object being to keep the air-holder as near as may be at the same point of elevation. I say speaking generally, for the apparatus has features of construction and operation which are not accurately-expressed by these words just used, which I will now describe.

The letter g denotes the valve-orifice inside the valve.

h denotes the valve-disk, and '2 denotes the valve-stem. The pressure of the current of the water flowing in the direction of the arrow will tend to open the valve and to keep it open, if it be not interfered with. The outer end of the valve-stem t' presses against the fingerj, which is fast to the oscillating shaft is, and on the same shaft is a weightarm I, carrying a weight m, which is adjustable along the weight-arm just mentioned. This weight ml call acounter-balanee, and in the use of the machine it is so adjusted that its weight will close the valve if left to itself. On this same shaft 70 is an arm a, provided with the adjustable stops 0 0.

The letter 1) denotes a lever hinged or pivoted to the arm n and having vertical play between the stops 0 o. The outer end of this lever 17 is loosely attached, as by a joint, to the reciprocating air-holder e.

Supposing the reciprocating air-h0lder to be at the top of its play, the valve will be closed and the lever 19 will be somewhere between the two stops 0 0'at least out of contact with the lower one of these steps. Now when the air-holder descends, carrying the outer end ofthe lever 19 with it, the under side of that lever will strike against thelowermost of the two stops 0, and then, farther descendin g, it will permit the water-supply valve to open, let water upon the wheel, and the wheel will revolve and force additional air into the air-holder. Now when the air-holder again rises it will arrive at a point where it will permit the counter-balance m to close the water-supply valve, and thus shut off the supply of water to the wheel; but the wheel will not instantly stop when the water-supply valve closes, but obviously will continue to rotate until it has emptied of water so many of its buckets that those remaining filled will just balance the pressure of the air in the air-holder. To permit this rotation of the waterwvheel, which must occur after the water-supply valve is closed, the lever 19 has the described lost motion on the arm n and between the adjustable stops 0 o. This provision for the lost motion of the Water-Wheel, of the air-holder, and of the lever 13, after the Water-supply valve closes, is one important feature of my invention.

Another feature of my invention. is a function, office, or purpose growing out of the use of the counter-balancec'n. Theoretically, the air-pressure induced by the apparatus should be always the same. As a matter of fact, it must vary slightly, in order that the air-holder may rise and fall; but this variation is one that is of no practical account. ever, be readily understood that in giving this air-holder such Work to do as that of opening and closing the Water-supply valve the amount of force or power required to exert that function should be made as little as is practically possible. As afact that is obvious the gnoment itisstatecl thewater-pressurein the Water-supply pipe will vary very considerablyin different places of use; but by using the counterbalance m and making it adjustable it can be so adjusted as to overcome any given Water- It Will, hoW-' 2. In combination, the reciprocating air holder, the air-pump, the water-wheel, the water-supply pipe, the valve-chamber having the valve-stem t', the oscillating finger j on the shaft is, arranged toengage the end of the valve-stem, the arm it, provided with adjustable stops, and a lever fulcrumed to the arm and arranged to have a movement between the stops, and having its free end loosely connected to the top of the reciprocating airholder, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN F. BARKER. \Vitnesses:

V. E. SIMONDS, G. G. HADDOVV. 

